Different heat exchangers employed in modern motor vehicles, e.g. condensers comprising manifold tube(s) with a plurality of U-shaped tube bends constituting a circulation path for a heat exchanging fluid, are provided with closing and partition walls within the tube. These walls (baffles) are installed in order to block or divert the flow of liquid/gas through the tube. Currently, such baffles are connected to the tubes by a brazing or soldering operation requiring use of heat and representing introduction of foreign materials (solder, flux) into the tubes. Close temperature control is necessary, especially in the case of brazing, in order to avoid an overheating and consequently collapse of the tube. Furthermore, the introduction of foreign material (fluxes) will often promote corrosion attack on the tube.
Attempts have also been made to employ mechanical methods for fastening of baffles, which rely on application of pressure forces to the outer surface of the tube, collapsing the tube wall against a plug inserted into the tube. A leakage proof connection between the tube wall and the plug requires a uniformly applied deformation force to the entire outer surface of the tube, and this is difficult to achieve in practice because of limited access to the tube surface and/or shape of the tube members.